Stillers @ Cowboys Pregame Analysis (Game #6, @ Dallas)
The red-hot 4-1 Stillers travel to Texas to face the 2-2
Cowboys, who are stinging from a tough beatdown at the hands of the Giants last
Sunday.� �
* When the Cowpokes have the ball, they'll be
led by ancient QB Vinnie Testeverde.� �My Cousin Vinnie has been around the league
so long that he's older than most of the coaches who roam the sidelines on
Sunday.� Vinnie has gotten off to a
rather shabby start to the '04 season, having thrown 4 picks and only 4
TDs.� There's nothing behind Vinnie on
the depth chart, so once Quincy Carter was sent packing by Bill Parcells, this
team was left with no alternative but to ride the arm of Vinnie Verde, which is
never an encouraging thought.�
Freddie George came over from the Titans to help the Cowboy
ground game.� Freddie is an admirable
pro, but his best days are obviously well behind him.� He's averaging well below 4 yards a crack (3.5),and has done
little to chip in with the passing game.�
Frankly, the 2 more intriguing prospects are rookie Julius Jones and
2nd-year man Reshard Lee.� However,
Jones is out with a shoulder injury.� Lee
has chipped in quite well in limited duty, and, built like a fire hydrant yet
possessing good quickness, this is a RB that should get a much longer look as
the season goes on.� Richie Anderson and
Darian Barnes give the Cowboys a very solid 1-2 punch at FB.�
The WR corps is deep and experienced.� Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson start, with
former Pitt Panther Antonio Bryant serving as the primary #3.� I'd figured Glenn was washed up, but he's
having a solid season thus far, as are KJ and the ever-fiery Bryant.� Young TE Jason Witten has established
himself as a capable target, and he actually leads the Pokes in receptions with
17.�
The O-line is geared to running toward the left, behind
veterans Flo Adams and Big Larry Allen.�
The Cowboys invested some first day picks in C Al Johnson and RG Andre
Gurode, who comprise the future of this line.�
T. Tucker mans the RT, with highly regarded rookie Jacob Rogers waiting
in the wings.�
The key matchup will be Vinnie against the Stiller
pass defense.� The Dallas running game
is average, and after facing the likes of Wheatley, Lewis, Rudi, and Suggs, the
Stillers will find the task of bottling Freddie George rather easy in
comparison.� Vinnie has 3 good receivers
at his disposal.� Problem is, Vinnie has
always suffered from shrinkage when facing the Stillers, getting happy
feet; throwing pitiful INTs; and even feigning injury in order to avoid a physical
beating.�
* When the Stillers have the ball, the white-hot
QB Ben Roth will lead a very versatile offense. �Roth is playing well beyond expectations, and is showing poise, improvisation,
and astute technique well beyond his years. �
Duce Staley has really found a groove, rushing for 3-straight
100-yard games for the first time in his career. �Plex Burress has caught fire the past couple of game, and Hines Ward
simply continues to prove, week in and week out, why he's one of the best WRs in
the game.� Perhaps most importantly, the
O-line has quietly gelled into a very sound, very effective unit.��
The Dallas D-line is fairly solid and stout, ranking a very
respectable 12th in the league against the run.� DE Greg Ellis, who has had a fine career and is having a fine
season, leads this foursome.� Ellis is
used in a variety of methods by the Cowboys, and will typically line up all
over the defensive front.� Ellis is a
danger in the pass rush and must be accounted for upon every snap of the
ball.� LaRoi Glover and Marcellus Wiley
were brought in to add a spark to a rather ordinary D front, and they've helped
shore up this line.� Leonardo Carson
starts at DT, and Chad Eaton and Kenyon Coleman chip in as key reserves.�
The LB corps is led by MLB Dat Nguyen, the former Aggie whom
I'd have loved for the Stillers to draft in the '99 draft.� Nguyen is the classic, tough, undersized overachiever
who makes his mark with high energy and pure grit.� He is flanked by capable vets Al Singleton and Dexter Coakley,
giving the Cowboys the tough, savvy LB corps that Parcells prefers.�
The Cowgirl secondary has been ravaged by injury, which
really hampers what was an average DB crew in the first place.� Starting safety Pete Hunter is out for the
year, as is dime-back Bruce Thornton.�
Safety Darren Woodson is still on PUP.�
The Pokes have a host of Williamses to call upon, including starting FS
Roy Williams (the safety, not the Lion receiver), backup CB Tyrone Williams,
and prac squad reservist Lenny Williams.�
Terrence Newman gives the 'boys a decent cover corner at the one corner
spot.�
The key matchup will be an unknown to me.� It seems quite plausible that, given the
Giants' ground success last week, Staley should be able to garner good
yardage.� Having said that, I just don't
see where the Cowboys' injury-riddled secondary can match up against Plex and
Ward.� This should be a case where both
ground and air are ripe for the taking, but Parcells is the wild card that can
throw a wrench into any matchup.�
* Special Teams: �Punter Mat McBriar and PK Billy Cundiff give Dallas one of the
more mediocre kicking tandems in the league.�
Lee handles most of the KO return chores, while Dedric Ward performs the
bulk of the PR tasks.� Stillers PK Keff
Reed has had a quietly effective campaign thus far, and should relish the
chance to kick on the astroturf in Dallas.�
Intangibles:�
�* Coaching:� Both head coaches in this game are named
Bill, and both are high-profile, mega-millionaires.� Only one deserves all those millions and the hoopla, of course,
and his name is Bill Parcells.� Mr.
Parcells is one of the greatest head coaches to ever coach in the NFL, and has
a sure spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.� On
the other sideline is the grossly over-rated, overpaid, underachieving Billy
Cowher, who doesn't deserve to even stand on the same stage as Parcells.� Few fans will forget the brutal assbeating
that Parcells and his Pats administered to Bilbo Cowher in the Jan. '96 AFC
playoff game in Foxboro.��
�* Vinnie's timidity: Vinnie is
1-9 over his career against the Stillers, with losses attained as a Brown,
Raven, and Jet.� Vinnie has always
quivered at the site of the Black n' Gold, and his cowardice has, on many
occasions, ensured his team's demise long before the opening kickoff.� Ironically enough, based on his longevity
and his gaudy career stats, Vinnie has a decent chance at the Hall of Fame,
which just goes to show you how meaningless NFL stats are relative to the other
3 major American sports.�
* Synopsis: This will be a stern challenge
for the Stillers, playing on the road against a solid foe that is still
seething from a divisional beating this past Sunday.� Add in the coaching abilities of Bill Parcells, and it's an even
tougher challenge.� At 2-2, the Pokes
are in deep danger of falling far behind the Iggles and G'ints in the NFC East,
so expect Parcells to have the 'Boys fighting like cornered dogs.� Parcells is obviously the far superior
coach, but he's saddled with an inferior, gutless quarterback.� If Parcells had virtually any QB other than
Vinnie, I'd predict a Cowpoke home victory.�
But aided by Vinnie's generosity of 2 INTs and a fumble, the Stiller
will steal a big win on the road, 20-16.�
��